Cell types of Mesothelioma

A patient’s doctor/medical records may refer to the “cell type” of the mesothelioma. The cell type refers to the type of tissue where the cancer first originated. As an example, “epithelial” mesothelioma refers to cancerous cells that start in the “epithelium,” which is the lining of the lung, heart or abdomen. By contrast, “sarcomatous” mesothelioma arises in the connective tissue. The term “biphasic” refers to a form of mesothelioma that starts in two different cell types. Other cell types of mesothelioma are desmoplastic and lymphohistiocytoid.